Mission MAGAZINE

A D V E N T I S T YOUTH AND ADULT QUARTER 3

2010
tran s - euro p ean D I V I S I O N

www.AdventistMission.org

featuring:
God Has Plans pg 12 | A Bible of My Own pg 26
1

www.AdventistMission.org
 Co n t e n t s

On the Cover: Caption?

Denmark
4 The Newspaper Ad | July 3
6 A New Church | July 10
8 Against the Tide | July 17
10 A Place to Belong | July 24
12 God Has Plans | July 31

Finland
14 The Beating Heart | August 7
16 Conversation in a Sauna | August 14
18 Where Are You, God? | August 21

Poland
20 Finding God’s Plan | August 28
22 A Gift in the Forest | September 4
24 Spreading Branches of Faith | September 11

Children’s Project
26 A Bible of My Own | September 18

Resources
28 Thirteenth Sabbath Program | September 25
31 Resources
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Dear Sabbath School Leader,
This quarter features the Trans-
European Division, which includes
countries in Europe, Asia, and
northern Africa. The division is home
to more than 616 million people,
but only 111,000 are Seventh-day
Adventists. That’s a ratio of one
Adventist for every 5,555 people.
The Challenges
Because of its great geographical and
cultural diversity, the challenges of
working in this division are complex.
Much of Europe is materialistic, post-
modern, and secular. People aren’t
seeking after God. Churches are all but
empty. Even the residents of former
Communist-ruled countries are seeking
more for financial security than
spiritual certainty.
Some of the counties within this
division don’t welcome Christianity at
all. In these areas nurturing believers is
difficult and often dangerous.
Denmark and Finland are two of
the most modern—and secular—
countries in Europe. But two new
church plants are vibrant and
growing. In the international English
Opportunities
This quarter’s Thirteenth Sabbath
Offering will help
plant an English-speaking church in

Copenhagen, Denmark
renovate a historic building to

be used as a church in Nummela,
Finland
renovate Camp Zatonie in Poland.

church plant in Copenhagen,
Denmark, as many as 60 people
worship and fellowship from week
to week. Many are students or
guest workers with limited-time
visas to remain in the country, but
others are permanent residents. Just
outside Helsinki, Finland, a growing
congregation of believers finds
innovative ways to share their faith
and their message with neighbors
and, using the Internet, a broader
audience. These two congregations
will receive help from the Thirteenth
Sabbath Offering to continue to
grow and minister in their respective
mission fields.
Poland’s Camp Zatonie is a gift from
God, and every year the outreach of
this camp and the church members
who use it bring hundreds, who might
otherwise not consider Jesus in their
lives, into contact with the gospel of
Christ. But the government, who gave
the camp to the church, is demanding
that its buildings be brought up to
modern standards. It’s a financial
hardship on the more than 5,000
Adventist believers in Poland, but
our Thirteenth Sabbath Offering will
help complete the renovations and
make the camp even more useful as an
evangelistic tool.
Yours for the kingdom,
www.AdventistMission.org
Charlotte Ishkanian
Editor, Mission
3
 denmar k
The Newspaper Ad
July 3 | Kim Hoffensetz
T oday’s story comes from Denmark,
a small country in northern
Europe. [Locate Denmark on the map.]
Kim leafed through the newspaper,
scanning the headlines and reading
the stories that caught his interest. His
eyes fell on a small advertisement in
the lower corner of the page. He read it
absently, then stopped and read it again.
He turned the page and continued
reading, but his mind returned to that
small advertisement. The few sentences
in the advertisement invited readers to
join a Bible study that was meeting on
Tuesday evenings.
Kim flipped back through the
newspaper, drawn to the ad as a moth is
drawn to a flame. He read the ad again,
sensing that it offered something that he
needed, that he had been searching for.
Adventist Mission Trans-European Division
Searching for Meaning
Kim had always been interested in
spiritual things. Although his family,
like most in Denmark, wasn’t religious,
Kim always believed in good, if not in
God. Kim sensed that life was filled with
struggles between good and evil. He had
seen evil in the alcohol and drugs and
4 violence that he’d encountered, and
Background©iStockphoto.com/Tony Oquias
he reasoned that if evil existed, then
somewhere good must exist as well.
He tried to live a good life, but his
failures frustrated him. He searched
for ways to embrace goodness without
realizing that the good he was looking
for was God.
In his search for goodness, Kim
adopted a healthy lifestyle and became
a vegetarian. He shared what he was
learning with his family, but he was
careful not to overwhelm them with too
much information. Over the course of
time his parents saw the wisdom in his
healthy lifestyle.
As he read books on health, he was
introduced to the New Age movement,
a philosophy of life that emphasizes the
importance of being a servant of the
world. New Age teachings don’t deny
God; instead they teach that God exists
within every person as a force for good.
But salvation through Jesus Christ is not
a part of New Age.
Searching for Jesus
When Kim faced some personal
problems he realized that the New Age
Movement didn’t hold all the answers.
He began to question God. Was He
real? Did He care about humanity? If
God cared about him, Kim wanted to
meet Him.
Kim met some Christians who
introduced him to a church. Kim
attended the worship services and
enjoyed the music. His spirit soared
as the people sang praises to God. But
in time Kim realized that the worship
services were more about experience
and feelings than about reason and
logic. He yearned for something more,
something to satisfy his mind as well
as his spirit. He wondered whether he
would always be searching and never
really finding.
The Newspaper Ad
Then Kim found the newspaper ad.
He decided to attend the Bible study
meeting. Perhaps there he would find
the answers he was looking for.
Kim was amazed at what he learned
during the Bible study. He never
realized the depth of God’s love and
Fast Facts
Denmark is a small country made up
 and few are interested in religion. But
of a peninsula and almost 500 islands.
It lies south of Norway, and Sweden.
It’s a wealthy and modern nation,
and, like Finland, its people have lost
their sense of need for God.
Vikings founded the Danish kingdom

more than 1,100 years ago, making
it one of Europe’s oldest continuous
kingdoms. The national flag has been
in use since 1219.
Denmark is a monarchy, a kingdom;

its flag is the world’s oldest. It has
been in continuous use for more than
700 years.
the plan of salvation. He continued to
attend and built his life on the truths
denmark
he was learning. He discarded the
twisted philosophies that had clouded
his understanding of God. Kim
realized that God was not only logical,
but that He was the author of perfect
logic and meaning. His spiritual life
grew as he studied for himself God’s
great truths.
Kim shared small bits of what he
was learning with his family. They
listened politely, but he could tell that
they weren’t really interested. Kim has
kept sharing, hoping that his family
will eventually accept his faith in God,
just as they accepted his principles of
healthful living.
Eight months after Kim found the
newspaper ad, he was baptized into
Christ and joined the Adventist
Church. Kim is learning how to share
his faith with others and how to find
answers to his personal questions in his
Bible. He enjoys sharing with others the
truths he has come to love. He wants to
help others find God as he has. He hosts
a weekly dinner and Bible study that 10
to 12 people attend.
The church in Denmark is small,
Kim wants to help the church grow.
He continues to share bits of truth and
testimony with his family, hoping that
one day they will come to know Jesus as
he has.
Our mission offerings help support
Bible study groups such as the one Kim
www.AdventistMission.org
attended. And part of our Thirteenth
Sabbath Offering this quarter will help
plant a growing international church
in Copenhagen, the capital city of
Denmark. 
5
 denmar k
A New Church
July 10 | Anette Wulf Andersen
[Ask a young woman to present this first-person report.]
M y name is Anette. I live in
Denmark, and until a friend
prayed for me I didn’t know that God
loves me. My family isn’t religious.
Occasionally we attended a Christmas
service at church, but the rest of the
year God wasn’t part of our lives.
Give Me Faith
Then I came to a difficult period
in my life. My friend Carina was a
Christian, but we hadn’t discussed
religion. However, Carina recognized
the problem I was facing and prayed
for me. She told me that God could
help me if I let Him into my life. As
she shared her faith with me, I wished
that I could know God as she did. But
Adventist Mission Trans-European Division
as much as I wanted to believe in God,
how could I believe in something that I
couldn’t see, touch, or feel?
“You can’t make yourself believe,”
Carina explained. “Ask God to give you
faith.”
That night I prayed for the first
time. “God, if You’re there, please give
me faith.” I waited, but I didn’t feel
6 anything different. I was disappointed,
Background©iStockphoto.com/Tony Oquias
but I wasn’t ready to give up.
Struggling With God
I had not been baptized as an infant,
and I felt I wanted to take this step.
So I found a church and asked the
pastor to baptize me. She told me that
I should first understand baptism and
the commitment it represents. She sent
me home with the assignment to read
certain passages in the Bible.
I read the Bible passages, and Carina
continued to pray for me. Her strong
Christian faith encouraged me to keep
studying and seeking God. As we read
our Bibles together and talked about
God, I began to feel my friendship with
Him growing.
During this time God showed me
that my relationship with my boyfriend
was pulling me in the wrong direction.
I struggled with God over this issue, for
I didn’t want to lose my boyfriend. God
continued to work on my heart. Finally
I surrendered and prayed, “OK, God,
I’m putting my life in Your hands. I
trust You.” This was a huge step of faith
for me.
 Although I wanted to be strong in my
beliefs, I found that it was much harder to
follow Christ’s example than I thought.
The Café Church
One day when I met Carina, she was
really excited. “I found a new church,”
she said. “It’s called the Café Church,
and it meets on Saturdays. It’s different
from any church I’ve ever attended.”
Carina explained that the people who
attended sat at tables and enjoyed a soft
drink until the program began. Then
they joined in singing praise songs with
a group of musicians on a stage. Then
someone spoke. It sounded interesting,
and I decided to attend the church with
Carina the next week.
On Saturday we went to the Café
Church. Carina was right. It was
special. Everyone was so friendly and
welcoming. I wanted to be a part of this
group and attend worship there every
week. I learned that this was a Seventh-
day Adventist church and that it meets
Fast Facts
Denmark is a wealthy and
 works out the details of the next step in
thoroughly modern country. Its
citizens enjoy one of the highest
standards of living in Europe. Its
capital city is Copenhagen.
Through skill and imagination, the
 I thank God for the Café Church,
Danes have made effective use of
limited natural resources.
Denmark’s best-known writers

include Hans Christian Andersen,
whose fairy tales are famous
throughout the world, and the
religious philosopher Søren
Kierkegaard.
in the oldest Adventist church building
in Copenhagen. I had never heard of
denmark
Seventh-day Adventists, but I liked the
worship and loved the people. At last
I felt that I was growing in faith and
understanding.
The members told me that a young
woman had started this church to reach
other young adults such as myself. In
addition to Sabbath services, they
invited me to meet with one of several
small groups for Bible study and prayer
during the week.
As I studied the Bible with these
people I realized that I had found my
church home. Although Carina quit
coming with me, I continued attending
the Café Church.
My Spiritual Home
I was so happy the day I was baptized
into membership at the Café Church.
I knew that I had found God and that
I can trust Him to lead me wherever
He wishes. His will for my life is what I
want to follow, no matter where it leads.
I’ve finished my studies at a university
in Copenhagen, and now I feel God
leading me to study theology. I’m
working in an orphanage while God
my life. I talk to Carina whenever I can
about the faith she helped me find. I
want her to have the joy that I’ve found
in Jesus.
an outreach of the Adventist Church
in Denmark. I now know that this
www.AdventistMission.org
church was established with the help
of Global Mission and your mission
offerings. I’m a follower of Jesus today,
and your mission offerings helped make
it possible. Thank you! 
7
 denmar k
Against the Tide
July 17 | congregational worship
I n the heart of Copenhagen, Denmark’s
capital city, Seventh-day Adventists
are seeking to swim against the tide of
secularism and apathy. They are reaching
out to the international community,
a segment of society that hadn’t been
tapped by Adventists until recently.
Growing numbers of people are
traveling to Denmark to study, to
visit, or to work. The international
congregation in Copenhagen seeks to
minister to these people.
A Dream Coming True
Ten years ago Velma Callendar, a
worker for the United Nations, saw
a need and dreamed of establishing
an English-language church in
Copenhagen. Today some 60 people
from 16 different countries worship
Adventist Mission Trans-European Division
together in a crowded classroom of an
Adventist school.
A pastor has been assigned part-time
to shepherd the group as it continues to
grow and reach out to the international
English-speaking community in the city.
Many in the congregation are either
students or are employed as temporary
workers whose visas allow them to stay
8 in Denmark for more than a year. This
Background©iStockphoto.com/Tony Oquias
means that the congregation’s makeup
changes constantly, and those who
attend cannot always afford to support
the church as they would like to. In
spite of these challenges the church
continues to reach out and grow.
Meet Some Members
Leila [LEH-lah] came from Kenya
looking for work. While her mother is
a Seventh-day Adventist, her father
worships in another faith. Leila and her
brother chose the Adventist Church.
When Leila arrived in Denmark,
she didn’t know any Adventists. For
two months she remained at home
on Sabbaths. Then a search on the
Internet found the English-speaking
Adventist church. She negotiated the
still unfamiliar city and found the small
group of believers. She hasn’t missed a
Sabbath since. “I was so happy to find
other Adventists who I could worship
with,” says Leila. “This is my spiritual
home now.”
Josan Sano, from the Philippines,
has been in Denmark for several years.
She encourages the younger Filipino
members to remain faithful to God
while they are far from home. “Our
church family is very close, and we
care about one another,” she says. “If
someone is missing on Sabbath, we call
to make sure they are OK.”
Josan and Geraldine
Josan invited Analyn [ah-nah-
lihn] to worship with the Adventist
believers on Sabbath. Analyn, also
from the Philippines, had been raised
in a different faith and had never
heard about Seventh-day Adventists
until she met Josan. She attended
the church and met other young
Adventists from her homeland.
She asks many questions, and her
faith in God has grown in this warm and
welcoming environment. The support
that Analyn has received from members
of the international congregation has
drawn her closer to God.
Geraldine Cardona is also from the
Philippines. When she worked in the
Philippines, she found it difficult to get
Sabbaths off from work. Many times
her supervisors threatened to fire her
if she didn’t work on Sabbath. Today
Geraldine works as an au pair [oh pair;
a live-in babysitter] in Denmark and is
an active member of the international
church. “We work together to make
our congregation healthy and vibrant,”
says Geraldine. “We’re building our
youth and outreach programs, which
are a big part of the church’s Sabbath
programming back home in the
Philippines. But without a place to
meet together throughout the Sabbath,
it’s difficult.”
Bulging Building
The international congregation
meets for Sabbath School in a
classroom of a small Adventist school.
It’s far too small for the current group
denmark
and offers no permanency.
“The space is not ours,” one church
member says. “And it’s too small. Most
Sabbaths it’s difficult to find a place to
sit. The children meet outside in the
courtyard, but on rainy or cold days they
can’t do that.”
In an area of the world where
traditional worship services are dying, the
international church in Copenhagen is
growing. Part of this quarter’s Thirteenth
Sabbath Offering will help establish
this international church in permanent
facilities and help its members reach out
to a growing community. 
Mission Post
Denmark is largely secular. Its

modern and comfortable lifestyle
enabled Danes to look to material
things for satisfaction and security.
Denmark’s citizens seldom attend
church more than on special days
such as Christmas and Easter.
Among the population, however,

some are searching for God.
Immigrants from Europe, Africa,
and South America have brought
with them their intense desire to
fellowship with other believers
and reach out to those from their
homeland who are also strangers in
www.AdventistMission.org
a foreign land.
The international congregation in

Copenhagen is ministering to the
English-speaking people who live
in the capital city. The church is
growing stronger and larger.
9
 denmar k
A Place to Belong
July 24 | Leila Apiyo
L eila [LEH-lah] awoke with a heavy
heart. It was Sabbath, and she was
homesick. She lay in bed thinking of
her mother and brother. They would
be going to church today. They would
sing the songs that she had learned to
love and pray with the other believers.
Perhaps they would pray for her, too.
In Kenya it seemed that nearly
everyone went to church. But in
Denmark, where Leila now lives, it
seemed that few people attended the
fine churches scattered across the city.
In fact, she had been so busy in the
two months since she had come to
Copenhagen that she hadn’t thought
much about finding a church in which
to worship either.
Leila had come to Copenhagen
Adventist Mission Trans-European Division
to visit her aunt. When the woman
suggested that Leila find work as an au
pair [oh pair], a live-in babysitter, Leila
agreed. She obtained the necessary visa
and found a job with a wonderful family
who treated her well. She began saving
money to attend college when she
returned home. But she hadn’t found a
church home.
10 Suddenly she knew what she had to do.
Background©iStockphoto.com/Tony Oquias
On the Map
She sat up and tossed the covers
aside. She turned on the computer and
searched the Internet for an Adventist
church in Copenhagen. She was thrilled
to discover an international Adventist
congregation that worshipped in the
city. Quickly she copied down the
address. But how could she get there?
Her aunt wasn’t an Adventist, so Leila
decided to take the bus to church. She
found a map and traced the bus route
to the church. She dressed quickly and
hurried to catch the bus.
She found the neighborhood where
the church was located, but, when she
found the church, she was dismayed to
find the church empty! A disappointed
sigh escaped her lips before she noticed
a letter posted on the door explaining
that the church members were on a
retreat. The letter gave the directions,
so Leila hurried to catch a bus to the
region outside the city where the retreat
was being held.
She didn’t know her way around the
city, so she swallowed her fear and asked
for help finding the right bus. She got
lost several times before she found the
retreat center. She arrived just as the
sermon was ending. But Leila didn’t
care. She had found fellow believers!
She met Rose from Uganda, who
invited her to join her for lunch. Rose
introduced Leila to other members of
the English-speaking church. She met
people from all around the world—
Iceland, Philippines, Tanzania, and
America, as well as from Denmark.
The members welcomed her warmly
and invited her to join them the next
Sabbath at the school where they hold
Sabbath School. Leila felt as if she were
in heaven!
When the meetings ended for the day
Leila found her way back home. She was
determined not to miss another Sabbath
of fellowship and worship!
Searching for a Spiritual Home
As Leila reflects on her experience
finding fellow believers in Denmark, she
realizes that in many ways her life has
been a search for a spiritual home. Her
mother was an Adventist, but her father
was from a different religion. Often
as she was growing up she felt torn
between the two religions and her desire
to please her parents. Her father wanted
the children to follow his religion;
and when he was home, the children
attended special religious classes on
Saturday. But when he was traveling,
as he often was, the children went to
Sabbath School with Mother.
When she was ready to go to high
school her mother insisted that Leila
study at an Adventist boarding school.
There Leila joined the choir and
learned to praise God using her voice.
At camp meeting, which was held on
her school grounds, Leila had given her
life to Christ and been baptized. For
months Leila didn’t tell her father of
her decision for Christ, for she feared
denmark
hurting him.
A Place to Belong
Leila rejoices that she has found
her spiritual home in Denmark in the
international congregation. She feels
loved and nurtured there and in turn
welcomes and nurtures others who come.
“I’m so happy that God led me to this
church,” she says. “Our little worship
hall is overflowing, and we need to find
a larger place to meet. We would like
to find a hall where people can find us
more easily so more people will come.
“I’m thrilled to know that this
quarter part of the world church’s
Thirteenth Sabbath Offering will help
grow this international congregation
into a vibrant, loving church family,
where there’s room for everyone who
will come.” 
Mission Post
The international English-language

Adventist church in Copenhagen,
Denmark, represents Adventists
from at least 16 countries.
These members speak at least 17
languages and dialects, yet they
find unity and fellowship in their
adopted country and their new
church home.
The international church has a

part-time pastor to help it grow.
www.AdventistMission.org
It needs a permanent house of
worship in an area of the city that
is both safe and accessible by public
transportation. Pray that God
will lead this congregation in the
months ahead as it grows in size
and spiritual strength.
11
 denmar k
God Has Plans
July 31 | Saranya and Amuthan
S aranya [sah-RAHN-yah] tugged at
the red silk sari she was wearing.
Her hand flitted nervously over the fine
fabric. Today was her wedding day; she
was marrying Amuthan [ah-MOO-than],
a man she had seen only a few times.
As with most traditional marriages
in India, Saranya had spent little time
with her fiancé, though they had spoken
for hours by telephone during their
engagement. They had prayed together,
and Saranya was sure that this man had
been sent in answer to her prayers for a
Christian husband.
She smoothed her long, dark hair as
she prayed silently once more. Please,
God, be the center of our home. Lead us
together in Your ways.
Saranya’s Prayer
Adventist Mission Trans-European Division
Saranya smiled as she thought about
how God had given her a Christian
husband. Her parents weren’t Christians,
and they had been determined that she
would marry in their religion. Saranya’s
only hope was to pray. And God stepped
in with His own plan.
At church one Sunday a girl sat next
to Saranya. She noticed Saranya’s sweet
12 voice as she sang praises to God. She
Background©iStockphoto.com/Tony Oquias
listened as Saranya asked and answered
Bible questions. This girl would be a good
husband for Amuthan, she thought. The
young woman spoke to her family about
Saranya. When Saranya’s family learned
that Amuthan was well-educated and
hardworking, their hearts softened.
Amuthan
But Amuthan, who is an Adventist,
was busy completing his Ph.D. in physics
in Switzerland, and his mind was far from
marriage. Why, he hadn’t even seen a
picture of this young woman whom his
cousin spoke about so glowingly.
Amuthan’s mother, on the other
hand, was a woman of strong faith.
She wanted her son to marry a good
Christian girl. She and other family
members began inquiring about
Saranya. They were delighted to learn
that she had not yet been promised to
anyone and that she had a strong faith
in God. Saranya would make a fine match
for my son, Amuthan’s mother thought.
While Amuthan studied in
Switzerland, his family began the delicate
dance of arranging a marriage in India.
Family members negotiated back and
forth, and finally the families agreed that
the two young people could marry.
Saranya and Amuthan hadn’t even
met yet.
The young couple eventually did
meet, but only briefly and with family
members present. When Amuthan
returned to Switzerland, e-mails and
telephone calls flew back and forth
between them. Amuthan wanted to be
sure that Saranya was truly surrendered
to Christ, and Saranya wanted assurance
that Amuthan’s Adventist faith was
the true faith. She questioned him at
length about his beliefs. The couple
spent hours reading the Bible together
over the telephone and asking and
answering questions. Saranya visited a
local Adventist church and felt loved
and accepted there. She listened to
the Bible lessons each Sabbath and felt
convinced that this was the truth.
At last the wedding day arrived. For
Saranya the day marked the beginning
of a new life as a wife and as a child in a
new faith.
New Home, New Church
Following the marriage the couple
moved to Copenhagen, Denmark,
where Amuthan would work as a
research assistant. They searched the
Internet for an Adventist church and
were delighted to find the English-
speaking international church.
They visited the English church and
felt at home, for they had seen pictures
of the members and activities on the
church’s website. This will be our church
home, Amuthan thought.
The church members welcomed them
and made them feel that they belonged.
At the first opportunity, Saranya was
baptized. The couple quickly became a
part of the church. Amuthan preaches
occasionally and takes turns teaching
the Sabbath School lesson as well.
denmark
They join other church members who
give out flyers and introduce people
in Copenhagen to the international
church that they have come to love.
New Life in Christ
Amuthan and Saranya enjoy living
in Denmark. They thank God for
providing them with a loving church
family made up of people from 16
countries around the world. While they
want to grow their church, they struggle
with limited space and an unsafe
location in which to worship. But they
know that God has plans for their
church, just as He has plans for each
one of the members.
Part of this quarter’s Thirteenth
Sabbath Offering will help plant
the international English church in
Copenhagen, Denmark. 
Fast Facts
The international English church

is made up almost entirely of
Adventist believers who are living
in Denmark as they study and work
temporarily as au pairs [live-in
babysitters]. The church’s makeup
changes from month to month as
some members complete their work
assignments or their university
studies and return home. This
means that while the church has a
large potential membership base, it
www.AdventistMission.org
doesn’t have a strong financial base.
Pray that God will call out people

in Denmark to hold up the hands
of the church leaders and provide
the financial base that will help the
church to grow in strength. 13
 f inland
The Beating Heart
August 7 | Pirjo and Rainer
Narrator: In a classroom of a small
Adventist school set amidst a grove of
trees and overlooking a lake, a thriving
congregation seeks to reach out to its
neighbors and lead them to Christ.
Located outside Helsinki, Finland,
the congregation calls itself “Beating
Heart,” for their ministry is focused on
reaching the hearts of those who live
in their community. The Beating Heart
congregation worships in the school,
for it has no building of its own—
yet. Already the young congregation
has outgrown its meeting space, and
members are working hard to raise the
money to remodel the historic barn on
their property into a new church home.
The land on which the school and
barn are located is part of an estate that
was left to the church several years ago.
Adventist Mission Trans-European Division
Two members share their testimonies
of how God is working in and through
their lives to reach others for Christ.
Pirjo [a woman]: My name is Pirjo
[peer-yoh]. I first heard of Seventh-
day Adventists when I was 17. I met a
young man who invited me to attend
church with him—an Adventist
14 church. I had never attended church,
Background©iStockphoto.com/Hector Joseph Lumang
and I felt uncomfortable going, but I
was impressed by the friendship and the
Bible study.
I attended the church for several
months. Then during evangelistic
meetings I surrendered my heart to
God. It wasn’t easy because I wanted
to be a popular singer. But I gave God
that dream, and He showed me that I
could use my talent to His glory instead
of my own.
I married a young man named Ari.
Life wasn’t perfect for I suffered from
depression and sometimes wondered
whether God really existed. But God
used my family and friends to draw me
closer to Him.
Then one day my brother-in-law, a
pastor, asked me to preach. I had never
thought of preaching before, but I was
willing to try. I was thrilled to be using my
love of writing to tell others about God.
Soon I was preaching on a regular
basis. Then someone asked me to give a
Bible study. I agreed to try and discovered
that I enjoyed studying with others.
God has used my writing ability in
ways I never would have imagined. Our
church has an active Internet ministry.
We upload our weekly sermons and
photos of our congregation. Some
weeks more than 400 people visit our
church website. Some of these are
not Adventists and may never have
stepped inside a church. Others are
our neighbors who want to know more
about the little church in the forest. I
praise God that He has given me talents
to use to share His love with others.
Rainer [a man]: I grew up in an area of
Helsinki with lots of crime. To protect
me from the bad influences, my mother
sent me to an Adventist school, even
Mission Post
While Finland claims to be a
 inherited as a community outreach
Christian nation, few Finns attend
church more than a few times a year.
Just outside of Helsinki, the capital
 work side by side, we get to know one
city, lies Nummela, a small town that
is growing rapidly. A few years ago
the Adventist church was given a
beautiful large estate there. Part of
the manor house has been converted
into classrooms for an Adventist
elementary school that ministers to
the surrounding community.
A church called the Beating Heart
 in Nummela and throughout Finland.
has grown up on this campus too.
Members plan to remodel a historic
barn on the property into a church.
Part of this quarter’s Thirteenth
 center for this congregation. Through
Sabbath Offering will help this
congregation renovate this
building to make it a house of
worship for a vibrant church
family in a growing community.
though we were not Adventists. There
I learned to love God, and by the
time I was in sixth grade I had given
my heart to God and wanted to be
baptized. I continued to worship in the
Adventist church.
When I had children of my own,
I wanted them to have the same
Christian education that I had enjoyed,
finland
but the little school I had attended had
closed. Then I learned of the Adventist
school in Nummela, near Helsinki. We
moved here so that our children could
attend the Adventist school.
The school is attracting many non-
Adventist families who want a kinder,
safer environment for their children. So
our school is really a mission school that
reaches into the community for Christ.
Our little church is growing as well.
Because the church uses the land we’ve
center, neighbors come to help pack
supplies for those in need, and as we all
another and make friends for Christ.
Narrator: Finland is a modern, secular
country. People don’t talk openly about
their faith, and spiritual matters aren’t a
priority in people’s lives. But God is using
an active congregation with a love for
others to open avenues to share His love
This quarter part of our Thirteenth
Sabbath Offering will help renovate a
historic building to serve as a worship
www.AdventistMission.org
the ministry of this active church, many
in the neighboring area will become
acquainted with Christians and with
Jesus, who has commissioned each of us
to go and tell others of His love.  15
 f inland

Conversation in a Sauna Background©iStockphoto.com/Hector Joseph Lumang

August 14| Seppo Kaitanen

[Ask a man to present this first-person report.]

F inland is a land of rugged

individualists. Like many Finns,
religion wasn’t part of my life growing
religion, but my sister listened. Then
God arranged things so I met Reijo
[RAY-oh], a member of my sauna club
up. I thought Christians were weak and who was an Adventist.
needed God as a crutch. But a series of
crises in my life changed my mind. Conversations in the Sauna
A sauna is a traditional Finnish
Failure steam bath. It’s a small building that
I wanted everything in life, and I contains stones that are heated to high
didn’t think I needed God to get it. My temperatures. Water is poured over the
brother and I opened a cinema just before hot stones to produce steam. People
videos came out and people stopped sit in the steam and work up a good
going to movies as much. When the sweat. Then they jump into a cold lake
cinema failed, we opened a burger shop. or take a cold shower to increase their
I got married and thought that I circulation. Saunas are more than health
had made it in life. But then difficult clubs; they provide a social outlet as well.
economic times hit Finland, and money Reijo listened and then said he
Adventist Mission Trans-European Division

was tight. My brother and I disagreed wanted to introduce me to another

about how to run our business. My wife member of our sauna club, a Seventh-
and I fought over money. Eventually day Adventist pastor named Pekka. I
our business failed and my wife left me. had never heard of Adventists before
Blame and accusations piled up right and wasn’t sure who they were. But I
along with the bills. felt I needed to talk to someone or I
I felt lost and alone and empty. I would explode.
turned to my sister, a Christian, and I met Pastor Pekka at the sauna. He
told her my troubles. People in Finland seemed perfectly normal to me. He was
16 don’t talk openly about weakness or warm and friendly and listened to my
troubles. I was relieved that he didn’t
ridicule me or make me feel weak. So
when he invited me to visit his church, I
agreed to come. It was hard to go because
I was so sure I could do things on my
own. I stood at the door of the church
trying to convince myself that I was just
going to hear Pastor Pekka speak.
The church members made me feel
right at home. I liked the congregation,
which was made up of several
nationalities—Russians, Africans,
English—who worshipped side by side
with Finnish Christians. I especially
enjoyed the music. As we sang praises to
God, I began to relax. This is good, I told
myself. These people are friendly and seem
genuinely happy. I knew that I would
visit again.
Riding the Storm
Even as I found peace in my new
church family, my home life was in
turmoil. I wanted to reunite with my
wife and children; and I prayed for God’s
will in this, hoping that we could put our
Fast Facts
Finland lies in northern Europe
 God, for we both know that there is no
between Sweden and Russia. It is a
modern, materialistic country.
The northern part of the country
 can help us provide a church home for
lies above the Arctic Circle. In the
peak of summer it stays light all
night, and in the dead of winter it’s
dark all but a few dimly lit hours of
the day.
During the cold winters, Finns enjoy

cross-country skiing and ice skating
on the country’s thousands of lakes.
family back together. Instead the divorce
was finalized, and I was alone.
Reijo, Pastor Pekka, and I continued
to meet at the sauna and talk about
spiritual things. They invited me to join
a men’s Bible study group, and I began
reading the Bible every day. It helped
fill my lonely hours.
Little by little I surrendered my life
finland
to God. In time I asked to be baptized.
I knew God had transformed me into a
different person, for others were seeing
the difference in my life. I wanted to
tell others about the peace I had found
in Jesus.
But I was still alone, still lonely. I
began to pray for a wife.
Date at the Sauna
I met Leah* at church. She’s a church
planter and leader of the Russian
congregation in our church. I invited
her on a date—at the sauna. We talked
a lot about spiritual things and about
our lives. As we grew closer, Leah and
I realized that God had brought us
together. In time we were married.
I realize now that God can work on
a person’s heart anywhere, even in a
sauna. Leah and I pray that our families
and friends will open their hearts to
peace in life without God’s presence.
The Finnish church is small—just
over 5,000 members. This quarter you
an active congregation near Helsinki.
www.AdventistMission.org
Please join us on Thirteenth Sabbath
to help this congregation shed its light
even more brightly. 
*Liia in Danish
17
 f inland

Where Are You, God? Background©iStockphoto.com/Hector Joseph Lumang

August 21 | Hannele Amberla

[Ask a woman to present this first-person report.]

I tore open my cousin’s letter and

began reading. “I’ve given my life to
Jesus,” she wrote. What does that mean?
Hope From Afar
Our teenage daughter decided to
study in Australia for a year. I was
I wondered. I’d sometimes attended worried about her, and I prayed that she
Sunday School, but I’d never heard of would find a good family to live with.
giving my life to Jesus. And she did. They were wonderful!
Greg, the father, helped us set up our
Long Search for God computer so we could instant message
I longed for a similar experience with one another. As we chatted I got to
God, but I wasn’t sure how to have it. I know Greg and told him of my search
attended several different churches and for God. He told me that he had drifted
joined youth activities, but I didn’t find away from his childhood church, but he
what my cousin had described. I bought suggested that I read his favorite book,
a Bible and read it through; I did things The Desire of Ages. I found the book on
that I thought Christians did, but still I the Internet and read it. It changed my
felt spiritually hungry. life! I read it again, this time comparing
After I finished university, I moved to it with my Bible. At last I sensed that I
Helsinki [hehl-SEEHN-kee], Finland’s was finding answers to my questions and
Adventist Mission Trans-European Division

capital city. There I met my future a closer walk with God.

husband. I invited him to attend church Greg’s father was a former missionary
with me, hoping that he would find who answered my questions about
God and then show me how to find God. He told me he was a Seventh-
Him, too. But it didn’t work. day Adventist, but I had never heard
Our children were born, and life of them. He explained that Adventists
became busy. I had everything I keep the Bible Sabbath and look
wanted—except God. I continued forward to Jesus’ return. My husband
visiting churches and prayed, “Lord, I looked the church up on the Internet.
What we read was reassuring.
18 can’t find you. Please find me.”
 Greg told me about a Christian TV
station on the Internet. I watched
several programs and rejoiced to find my
life was changing. I learned that the TV
station was sponsored by Adventists.
An Invitation to Worship
Then Greg invited me to visit an
Adventist church. I hesitated because
I had been disappointed so often, but
eventually I agreed to go. I didn’t expect
much, but when I arrived at the church
I was overwhelmed with the love people
showered on me. I was amazed to hear
the Bible discussion. These people knew
so much about the Bible! I loved the
sermon too. I returned to church the
following week.
I struggled with attending church
on Saturday until I understood the
preciousness of the Sabbath. And
several other aspects of the Adventist
Mission Post
The Adventist Church in Finland is
 and the Holy Spirit comforted me.
small, with just over 5,000 members
among a population of more than
5.3 million. That’s one Adventist for
every 1,053 people.
The Adventist Church in Finland
 at church, and eventually we married.
has developed several methods to
reach out to searching hearts in the
country. One way is through the Bible
correspondence school. Another
is the church’s youth camp. Here a
special week of camp is dedicated to
teaching new believers and grounding
them in their faith. Each year dozens
join God’s remnant church because of
the outreach of the youth camp and
the faithful Adventist members who
share their love for God with their
friends and families.
faith puzzled me. But Greg helped me
find answers to my questions, and I
continued attending the church.
I fell in love with Jesus, just as my
cousin had done so many years earlier.
That summer I visited the church’s Bible
camp, where I studied the Bible deeply
with fellow seekers and came away
spiritually refreshed. During breaks I sat
by the lake and prayed for my husband.
finland
I returned home from camp rejoicing.
As usual, I shared my love for God
with my husband, but this time I felt
compelled to urge him to make a
decision for Jesus. I didn’t know it then,
but this was our last conversation about
religion. Two days later he died in an
automobile accident.
Questions, Promises, and Ministry
I couldn’t understand why God would
take away my husband so soon after I
had given my life to the Lord. Now I
understand that God gave me a church
family to support me and pray with me
during those difficult days. The Bible
texts I had memorized gave me peace,
I went to work for the church’s Bible
correspondence school, where I help
others who are struggling with some of
the same issues I have. I met a good man
God has given us a ministry together.
As for Greg in Australia, he returned
to the Lord as well. God surely works in
mysterious ways!
Mission offerings support the Bible
www.AdventistMission.org
school where I work and the Bible camp
we hold every year for new believers.
This quarter your Thirteenth Sabbath
Offering will help provide a church for
a congregation here in Finland. Thank
you for your support.  19
 p oland
Finding God’s Plan
August 28 | Roza Roszkowska
R oza, take a look at this,”
Grandmother said as she gave Roza
a colorful pamphlet. “It’s an invitation
to a series of lectures about the Bible,”
Grandmother explained. “You should go.
You might learn something interesting.”
Grandmother knew that Roza was
interested in religious things. She was
active in her parents’ church in Poland
and even volunteered as a youth leader,
though she wasn’t much older than the
youth she led. Her parents were proud
of her involvement with the church and
proud of her other accomplishments.
Roza was preparing to become a teacher.
A New View of God
Roza looked at the pamphlet and
decided to attend the lectures. She was
curious what they could be about.
Adventist Mission Trans-European Division
Roza found a seat and settled down
for the lecture. She met a young man
at the lectures who was about her
age. As they became acquainted, he
invited her to attend a summer Bible
camp that the church sponsored. Roza
decided to go; she was curious about
this church that seemed to know so
much about the Bible.
20 When she arrived at the camp, Roza
Background©iStockphoto.com/Simon Gurney
was a bit nervous about being among
so many strangers. But the young
man who had invited her introduced
her to several young people from her
hometown. She liked making new
friends. She soon found herself enjoying
the fellowship at the Bible camp as
much as the Bible studies.
Joy Bubbling Over
When Roza returned home, she
started attending the Adventist church
every Sabbath. She knew that her
parents would not be happy that she
was attending a new church, so she
didn’t tell them where she was going on
Sabbath morning.
But soon her excitement about what
she was learning spilled over, and she
told her mother everything she had
learned at Bible camp and at church.
Roza explained what she had learned
about having a personal relationship
with Jesus. “We don’t have to confess
our sins to a priest,” she told her mother.
“Just tell God.”
Roza’s revelation worried her mother.
“Why do you want to get involved in a
different church—a strange church?” she
asked. “We have a perfectly good church.”
 “But these people really love Jesus,”
Roza explained. “They follow the Bible.
I want to learn what God teaches.”
“If you insist on becoming an
Adventist,” Mother said with a sigh,
“don’t expect any financial support
from me.”
The Confrontation
Roza continued attending the
Adventist church, and she became
convinced that the Adventist church
was where God wanted her to be.
After attending the church for several
months, Roza asked to be baptized.
Her parents were angry when she told
them about her decision. For the first
time in her life her father hit her. And
her mother demanded that she leave
the house.
Roza packed a few clothes and her
school textbooks and left her parents’
home. She went to stay with an
Adventist family that lived nearby. Two
Fast Facts
For almost 50 years Poland
 family saw that the couple was happy in
was under Communist rule.
The quest for freedom took
root early in this country and
helped overthrow Communism
throughout Eastern Europe.
Unlike most other countries
 her to the Savior through the influence
that were dominated by
Communism during this time,
Polish farmers did not lose their
farms during Communist times.
Today families continue to
farm land that once belonged
to their ancestors. Much of the
harvest is still done with horses
and human labor.
weeks later Roza’s mother sent her sister
to ask her to return home.
She was permitted to sleep in her own
bed, but her parents no longer supported
her financially. A scholarship paid her
school tuition, but Roza took a job
cleaning the church to pay for food and
other necessities. She spent most of her
time in class and studying in the school
library, going home only to sleep. Roza
managed to finish college on her own.
Finding God’s Plan
Roza knew that her mother was
worried about her. “How will you ever
find an Adventist husband?” she asked.
pol and
Roza knew her mother had a point,
for there weren’t many Adventists
in Poland. But Roza claimed God’s
promises to provide for her in every way.
While Roza was preparing for
baptism she met Krystov [Chris-toff], a
young man who lived in another city
and was also planning to be baptized.
The two began writing to each
other, and in time they began dating.
Eventually they were married.
Krystov entered the ministry, and
Roza began her career as a teacher. Her
their faith and in their work, and they
have reconciled. Roza hopes that one
day soon her parents will find the joy in
Jesus that she and Krystov know.
Roza is grateful to God for leading
of her grandmother, a Bible lecture
brochure, and a Bible camp filled with
www.AdventistMission.org
friendly youth who welcomed her. This
quarter part of the Thirteenth Sabbath
Offering will help renovate the church’s
Bible camp in Poland so that hundreds
more people can experience the joy of
knowing Jesus.  21
 p oland
A Gift in the Forest
September 4 | Ryszard Jankowski
I n 1990, just after Communism fell,
Richard,* the Polish Union youth
leader, had a dream—an impossible
dream, some said. He wanted a youth
camp where the church’s youth could
be trained for service. They had no
land, no money, and no idea where
they would get either. But Richard
sensed that God was in the dream, so
he began searching.
A Place Called Zatonie
Richard wanted a place away from
towns, “a place where children and
youth could spend time in nature and
learn about God, a place where they
could see the Creator and learn to love
Him,” he said. They wanted the camp
to have electricity and water, be on a
lake, and offer some basic buildings to
Adventist Mission Trans-European Division
get started. wanted the campsite to train children
Richard found a place called
Zatonie [zah-TOH-nee], a
government-owned camp on a lake in
western Poland. The buildings on the
campground were in poor condition,
but they could be made useful.
“I believed that God wanted us to
have Zatonie,” Richard says. “But we
22 didn’t have money to buy the camp or
Background©iStockphoto.com/Simon Gurney
furniture for the buildings. But as our
committee discussed the possibilities
and the obstacles, the telephone rang.
Someone in Denmark was offering us
furniture—free furniture. They would
even deliver it!”
Richard knew that the campsite was
worth $200,000. And although the
church had no money, Richard knew that
God would provide if this was His will.
The union decided to rent the camp,
and soon a truck from Denmark arrived
filled with military surplus beds and
dressers and kitchen supplies, most of
what was needed to start a camp. The
union started holding camps at Zatonie.
A Bold Request
Richard went to the local village
council and explained that the church
and youth to be good citizens. He
reported on how the church already had
used the camp to benefit children from a
coal mining region and children whose
homes had been destroyed during recent
flooding. He explained the purpose of
Pathfinder camps and youth camps that
were being held at the campsite. Then
he asked the council to consider giving
the camp to the Adventist Church. One
member of the local council objected to
the church’s request, but in the end the
council voted overwhelmingly to give
Camp Zatonie to the Adventist Church.
A gift from Adventists in Britain paid
for the buildings. God had spoken.
A Busy Place
From early spring until late autumn
Zatonie is a busy place. Besides weeks
of summer camps for youth, the
campground hosts Poland’s annual
camp meeting, where 1,000 people or
more gather to enjoy 10 days to worship
God, study His Word, and rekindle
friendships. Hundreds of people come to
this camp who are not Adventists, and
many leave having turned their lives
over to Jesus.
Children are encouraged to bring
a non-Adventist friend to summer
camp with them, and some of these
young people have decided to follow
Mission Post
There are about 5,700 Adventists
 brother in Christ.
living in Poland, or one for every
6,674 people.
Nearly all of Poland’s population

belongs to the state-supported church,
making it difficult for the Adventist
Church to grow there.
The church’s Camp Zatonie helps
 know God. 
strengthen the faith of Adventist
children and youth. In addition,
the camp is used to reach out to
underprivileged children and teens
who need to spend time in nature and
learn more about the God we serve.
Jesus. The lake that lies along the
border of the camp provides a perfect
place for baptisms.
Literature evangelists use the camp
as a training site for full-time and part-
time colporteurs who practice their sales
skills in the villages around Zatonie.
Thus the neighboring regions have been
covered for Christ.
One Changed Life
When Richard first found Zatonie, he
noticed that someone had written on
the side of a small building the words
“God doesn’t exist.” Two years later
during a camp meeting, he asked young
pol and
people what should be done with the
words. A young man stood and said
that he had written those words in 1989
while at a camp for troubled teenagers.
When he returned home he learned
that one of his friends had become an
Adventist Christian. The friend invited
him to church, and in time he, too,
gave his life to Christ. God took away
his desire to drink and smoke and made
him into a new person. So this young
man who had written the words against
God on the wall during a drunken act of
rebellion helped to paint over them as a
God is using Camp Zatonie to change
lives. Part of this quarter’s Thirteenth
Sabbath Offering will help renovate the
remaining buildings and make further
improvements so that this camp can
enlarge its ministry to the church’s
youth as well as to those who don’t yet
www.AdventistMission.org
*Ryszard Jankowski [ree-SHARD Yahn-kow-skee], now
president of the West Polish Conference, was Polish Union
youth director when Zatonie’s story unfolded.
23
 p oland
Spreading Branches of Faith
September 11 | Wladislav Kosowski
W e need more nails up here!” a
man calls from the rooftop of
an aging house in western Poland. A
teenage boy jogs to the supply pile and
pulls out a box of nails. He climbs the
wooden ladder to give them to the man
on the roof.
“I think we will finish before supper,”
a sun-bronzed man with white hair
smiles with satisfaction. “No more
dodging the raindrops for this family!”
Vlad’s weather-beaten face wrinkles into
a familiar smile. This is his favorite time
of year, and he’s doing what he loves
most—helping people live better lives
as they learn about the Life-giver, Jesus.
Vlad lives for camp meeting time.
Although he's a retired pastor and
Global Mission coordinator for the
Polish Union, he hasn’t retired from his
Adventist Mission Trans-European Division
passion to reach people for Christ. And
he’ll do whatever it takes to open the
hearts of people to listen to the gospel
message. That’s why he and his family
have adopted the region around Zatonie,
the Polish Union’s youth camp, as their
personal mission field.
24
Background©iStockphoto.com/Simon Gurney
Being God’s Hands
The people living in the region
around Zatonie Youth Camp are
generally poor; and most, especially
older people, struggle to keep their
homes in livable condition. Often they
can’t do the work themselves and can’t
afford to hire someone to do it for them.
As winter turns to spring, Vlad visits
the village officials and gets the names
of those who need help to keep their
Mission Post
Camp Zatonie provides more than

a place to go to spend a week in
nature and make friends with other
believers. The church reaches out to
underprivileged teens and children,
giving them time in nature to
connect with God.
Church members use the camp as a

base to reach out to the surrounding
farming villages. The people in the
area surrounding Zatonie once knew
nothing about Adventists. Now they
know that we are practical Christians
who love God and want them to
experience His love as well.
homes in repair. Then during camp
meeting he invites those who attend—
whether Adventists or not—to spend
a day or two getting their hands dirty
for God. Youth and adults work side by
side to clean homes, repair roofs and
plumbing, and do whatever they can
to make life better for the people who
live near the camp. Members learn
how to use their skills to help a local
community while making a difference in
Zatonie. It’s hard work, but the rewards
are great. They know that these people
will listen to the gospel once they’ve
seen the gospel of love acted out in such
tangible ways.
Vlad’s passion is planting churches
by showing practical Christianity.
Even before Communism fell he was
teaching church members how to work
with others to win their confidence
and listen to their message of grace.
“Our goal has long been to plant new
churches in empty places,” Vlad says.
And with just over 5,000 Adventists in
the entire country of Poland, there are
many such “empty areas.” “We work a
lot among the poor, the needy, and the
sick,” Vlad explains.
“The people of the Zatonie region
are poor, and winters in Poland are
severe,” Vlad says. “Their houses are
poorly insulated, so frost gets inside.
We put in insulation, repair the floor
or the roof or the plumbing—whatever
a family needs done.
Spreading the Branches of Faith
“This year 60 people volunteered
to help repair 10 houses during camp
meeting,” Vlad says with a satisfied
smile. “Some are professional builders
who do specialty work such as electrical
or plumbing. But most are ordinary
people who want to help someone else.
In this way we spread the branches
of our faith, of Christianity, over the
community of Zatonie. We want the
people who live near our camp to know
us as practical Christians.
“The members of the village council
take us to the homes in need of repair
and tell the residents, ‘We can help
you. We have the materials, and these
Adventists are here to do the work.’
The people are thrilled that we have
come to help them. And imagine the
joy on the faces of people who know
that they will no longer have to suffer
with a leaky roof or plumbing that
pol and
doesn’t work or a rotting floor. Now
their home is fixed again!
“When we first came to Zatonie,”
Vlad says, “no one knew who we were.
But when they saw that we are practical
Christians, they began to trust us.” As
we work on these people’s homes, we
invite them—and the city officials we
work with—to come to our meetings.
And they come!”
Spreading the Blessing
“I hope those who come to help with
this work during camp will go home
and do the same thing in their own
towns, so that the branches of our faith
may shade many more communities
around Poland.”
Camp meeting at Zatonie is about
more than attending meetings and
seeing friends. It’s about mission. Part
of our Thirteenth Sabbath Offering
www.AdventistMission.org
this quarter will help pay for materials
to renovate the buildings on the
campsite so that they meet government
standards. Then the branches of faith
can spread out even more to shadow
more people with God’s love.  25

A Bible of My Own
September 18 | Kristina, Sudan children, Sharoon
[If you wish, ask three junior-age children to join you in presenting this mission report on the
special children’s offering project.]
Narrator: Next week is Thirteenth
Sabbath. While adults are encouraged
to bring an extra-large offering to
help establish churches in Denmark
and Finland and to expand a youth
camp ministry in Poland, the children
have their own Thirteenth Sabbath
Offering. They want to provide Bibles
for children in three countries of the
Middle East.
Let’s hear from three children who
live in the region where the Bibles will
go. Elijah lives in Sudan, the largest
country in Africa.
Elijah: I was born during a time of war.
One day soldiers attacked our village
Adventist Mission Trans-European Division
and burned it to the ground. We ran
into the bush and hid for weeks with
little to eat and no clean clothes to
wear. But the war is over now, and we
are building a new village with homes
of mud with straw roofs. Our school was
destroyed, so we meet under a mango
tree to learn to read and write until we
have a school. Because of the fighting
my parents couldn’t go to school, and
26
C hildren ' s Pro j ect
now they can’t read or write. But they
were determined that we learn.
One day a missionary came to our
village and held worship. Then he gave
a Bible to one child in each family. Now
I can read God’s Word to my parents so
they can build their faith in God.
Narrator: Kristina lives in the
country of Israel. What would a Bible
do for her life?
Kristina: When my mother and I
moved to Israel a few years ago, we
couldn’t find an Adventist church. So
we worshipped in our apartment on
Sabbath. One Sabbath my friend Alona
[ah-LOH-nah] came to play. I suggested
that we play Sabbath School instead of
ordinary games.
“What is Sabbath School?” Alona
asked. I told her that in Sabbath School
we sing songs about God and listen to
Bible stories. We gathered our dolls to
be our class.
Alona liked playing Sabbath School.
I invited her back the next week. I
wrote Bible verses in a notebook, and
Alona copied the verses into the dolls’
notebooks. Soon she had learned
the Bible verses too. We sang songs,
and Mother or I told a Bible story.
Sometimes we played a Bible game or
listened to a Bible story while making
cards for friends.
Alona brought Nadia [NAH-dee-ah],
another school friend, to play Sabbath
School. Even though Nadia and Alona
aren’t Christians yet, they love my little
Sabbath School.
One day Mother told me that she had
found the Adventist church. Now we
worship there on Sabbath. But it’s too
far away for my friends to attend so we
still play Sabbath School on Sabbath
afternoons. I would like to give Alona
and Nadia a Bible or a New Testament
so they can read God’s Word for
themselves. But I don’t have any money.
Maybe the Thirteenth Sabbath Offering
will buy enough Bibles so my friends can
have one.
Mission Post
Children in some countries of the Trans-
 have a Bible. I hope that soon every
European Division have little hope of
ever owning a Bible of their own.
This quarter the children of the world
 Narrator: Sharoon’s wish is our
are working to raise funds to help
provide children in Sudan, Israel,
and Pakistan with Bibles in their own
languages. These Bibles will do far
more than provide a child with an
opportunity to read God’s Word for
themselves. In many cases the Bibles
may be the means to reach entire
families for God.
Let’s support our children as they reach
 Thirteenth Sabbath Offering. 
out to other children with God’s Word.
Narrator: Kristina is a real missionary.
Let’s bring an extra-large offering so her
friends can have Bibles of their own.
Sharoon will tell us what it’s like to live
in Pakistan.
Sharoon: Pakistan lies northwest of
India. Most people who live there
are Muslims. There are only a few
Christians and even fewer Adventists.
Our church is small and meets in a
house that has been made into a church.
We children meet in a bedroom to
study our lesson. We don’t have lesson
quarterlies, so our teacher reads the
story to us. We listen carefully so we can
answer the questions she asks later.
We children don’t have Bibles either,
so we memorize Bible verses so we can
take parts of the Bible wherever we go.
Then someone sent some money to
the missionaries in our town and asked
Project
them to buy Bibles for the children. We
were so excited! At last I have my own
Bible! I bring it to church every Sabbath
and read my Bible lesson for myself.
Now I can really answer the teacher’s
questions. I love my Bible, but I know
that other children in Pakistan don’t
C hildren‘s
child who wants a Bible can have one.
wish too, that everyone who wants a
Bible may have one. This quarter our
children are helping provide Bibles
for children in Sudan, Pakistan,
and Israel. Entire families will be
www.AdventistMission.org
influenced by the Bibles that will
be purchased for children in these
countries because we give a generous
27
 Thirteenth Sabbath Program
O p e n i n g So n g “Lead Them, My God, to Thee,”
The Seventh-day Adventist Hymnal, No. 653
W e l c o m e Superintendent or Sabbath School teacher
P r a y e r
P r o g r a m “The Difficult Places”
O ff e r i n g While the offering is being taken, ask the children to sing one or
more of the songs that they have learned this quarter.
C l o s i n g S o n g “Working, O Christ, With Thee,”
The Seventh-day Adventist Hymnal, No. 582
C l o s i n g P r a y e r

The Difficult Places

Participants: Three to five speakers—a narrator and two or four reporters. If
your group is small, two reporters can present two different project reports. [Note:
participants do not need to memorize their parts, but they should be familiar enough with
the material that they do not have to read everything from the script. Practice so that
participants can feel comfortable adding inflection where appropriate.]

Props: A map of the Trans-European Division. (Scan the map on the back page of
the quarterly and project it onto a screen, or draw a map on a large piece of paper.)
Photos of some of these projects are available at www.AdventistMission.org. Click
on “Resources,” “Resources for Leaders,” “Thirteenth Sabbath Projects,” and then on
Adventist Mission Trans-European Division

the current quarter.

Narrator: This quarter we have enormous. Adding to the challenges is

focused on the Trans-European
Division. This region includes a
number of countries in Europe as well
as countries in the Middle East and
northern Africa. With such a wide
range of nations, the challenges to
reach the people in this division are
28
the fact that church membership in the
entire division is just over 111,000—
fewer than many individual unions or
countries in other areas of the world.
This means that the financial base of
the division’s work is small, making
new work difficult to finance.
 Many of the countries in the
European sector of this division,
including Denmark and Finland, which
are receiving part of today’s Thirteenth
Sabbath Offering, are postmodern and
secular. Churches are dwindling, and
congregations are aging. But amidst the
dismal-sounding reports, new lights are
shining. New and vibrant congregations
are being planted. Let’s hear about
the work in this field that has unique
challenges—and opportunities—to
spread God’s love in difficult places.
Our first project is a new church
plant in Copenhagen, the capital city
of Denmark.
Reporter 1: Traditional churches in
Denmark are dying. Great churches
often open their doors to just a handful
of aging worshippers on Sunday
morning. The story isn’t much better
in the Adventist churches in Denmark.
But one new church plant is growing
rapidly. The Copenhagen English-
international congregation is meeting
a need and already has outgrown its
facilities. This congregation attracts
about 60 people from five continents
and more than 16 countries. They have
come to Denmark to work or to study or
to find a better life. They come to the
international church because they enjoy
the fellowship and the vibrant worship
that they find there.
This congregation began meeting
with one of the Danish-speaking
churches. But now they number more
than the Danish congregation and
meet separately for worship. They hold
Sabbath School in the small Adventist
school next door to the church. But
they’ve outgrown their space and need a
more permanent place to worship.
Part of our Thirteenth Sabbath
Offering this quarter will help grow
this new church plant. Thousands in
Denmark speak English. They need
to know about God’s love, and the
international Adventist congregation
wants to teach them. Let’s help grow
this church so that its light will shine
throughout the nation and bring many
to Christ.
Narrator: It’s exciting to see new
church plants growing in difficult areas,
isn’t it? Our next project is a church
plant just outside Helsinki, Finland.
Reporter 2: Finland faces many of the
same challenges as Denmark. The people
are financially comfortable and don’t feel
that they need God in their lives.
One congregation, however, is
growing in an unusual place. Years
ago a wealthy Adventist died and
left his estate to the church. Part of
the manor house now is home to the
Adventist school that once was located
in Helsinki. The current environment,
with its setting among trees and near
a lake, is far more conducive to an
Adventist school than a busy city street.
The church that has grown up
around the school calls itself the
Beating Heart, for it seeks to pump the
Spirit of God into the community that
is growing up around it. The active
congregation meets in the school,
and, because of its outreach activities,
it’s quickly outgrowing its facilities.
www.AdventistMission.org
It plans to renovate the lower level
of a historic building on the estate as
its new church home. Part of today’s
Thirteenth Sabbath Offering will help
this congregation pay for the renovation
of the building and provide a house of
29
 worship for this growing congregation.
Narrator: Our third project is an
exciting one—a youth camp in Poland
that is reaching thousands for God.
Reporter 3: The story of Zatonie Youth
Camp is inspiring. God worked miracles
and provided a valuable piece of land
and buildings to the Adventists of
Poland for almost nothing. This camp,
which was operated by the Communist
government of Poland for many years,
has become an important outreach
center of the Adventist Church.
While it operates weeklong camps for
Adventist children and teens and the
church’s annual camp meeting, which
draws more than 1,000 Adventists from
across Poland, the camp also serves as
an outpost for evangelism.
During camp meeting every year
volunteers work in the surrounding
community repairing homes of those
who cannot afford to make the repairs
themselves. Colporteurs train at Zatonie
and practice their sales techniques in
the surrounding villages. And several
times a year the campground is opened
for children from disadvantaged homes
or those who have suffered through
natural disasters such as floods. These
children come for a week or more to
enjoy nature and learn of the God who
Adventist Mission Trans-European Division
loves them.
The camp may have been given
to the Adventist Church, but the
government requires that the aging
buildings be brought up to modern
standards. Part of this quarter’s
Thirteenth Sabbath Offering will
help refurbish the existing buildings
and replace another building that has
become too dangerous to use. The result
30
will be a camp that will be able to reach
even more people in Poland with the
gospel of Christ.
Narrator: Finally, we want you to know
about our special children’s Thirteenth
Sabbath Offering project. It’s exciting.
Reporter 4: The special children’s
project this quarter will help provide
Bibles for children in three countries:
Sudan, Israel, and Pakistan. Imagine
trying to learn Bible truths when you
can’t read them for yourself. Imagine
trying to understand Scripture passages
when you can only listen to someone
else reading it or telling about it.
Families in the countries featured
don’t all have a Bible in their own
language. Children have no way to
read their Sabbath School lesson from
the Bible and must rely solely on what
they hear in Sabbath School. Having a
Bible will enhance their understanding
of God’s Word and, in some cases, will
help entire families come to God.
Children in Sabbath Schools around
the world have been working hard
to bring a big Thirteenth Sabbath
Offering today so that other children
can have a Bible.
Narrator: We have our work cut out
for us today. We have four projects
in six “difficult” regions of the world.
Our offering can help plant a church,
provide a worship center, reach out
to children and youth in Poland, and
provide Bibles to thousands of children
in three countries. Let’s make a big
difference in the lives of the people in
the Trans-European Division today.
[Offering]
 Mission
Le a d e r 's Re s o u r c e s ADVENTIST
For more information on the cultures and history of Denmark,
Finland, and Poland, the countries featured this quarter, check the
travel section of a local library or visit a travel agency and ask for
brochures.
Visit our website for additional photos, recipes, language Third Quarter 2010
pages, puzzles, and other activities that you can download and Trans-European Division
print to make mission more fun for children. Go to www.
AdventistMission.org. Click on “Resources” and “Children’s Editorial
Activities” in the pop-up menu. Go to second quarter and select Charlotte Ishkanian Editor
the activity you want.
Alita Byrd Contributing Editors
Adventist Mission DVD is a free video that features stories Esther Lipscomb
from the featured countries as well as the worldwide mission of the Deena Bartel-Wagner
Adventist Church. Ask your Sabbath School superintendent to Hans Olson Managing Editor
make you a copy of it. Or go online at www.AdventistMission.org Emily Harding Layout and Design
to download one of the DVD programs.
O ff i c e of Adventist Mission
Gary Krause Director
Embassies and Tourism Offices sometimes can provide Ganoune Diop Study Centers Director
interesting information on their country. In North America, Rick Kajiura Communication Director
contact: Marti Schneider Programs Director
Embassy of Denmark, 3200 Whitehaven St., NW,
Washington, DC 20008-3616. Phone: 202-234-4300; websites: C omm u n i c a t i o n S t a ff
www.ambwashington.um.dk and www.denmark.dk/en. Laurie Falvo Projects Manager
Charlotte Ishkanian Mission Editor
Embassy of Finland, 3301 Massachusetts Ave., NW, Hans Olson Projects Manager
Washington, DC 20008. Phone: 202-298-5800; or for cultural Daniel Weber Video Producer
information on Finland go to www.finland.org/Public/Default.aspx Andrew King Video Producer
and click on “About Finland.”
Embassy of Poland, 2640 16th St., NW, Washington DC
20009. Phone: 202-234 3800; website: www.polandembassy.org.

Remind members also that the ongoing work of the world
church depends on the weekly Sabbath School mission offerings.
On the twelfth Sabbath, report on mission giving during the
quarter.
Future Thirteenth Sabbath Projects
Next quarter the West-Central Africa Division will be featured.
Special projects include:
• a church for the campus of Valley View University in Ghana
• a science building at the Adventist University Cosendai in
Cameroon
• children’s project: packets of school supplies with invitations
to visit the Adventist church.
Website: www.AdventistMission.org
Mission (ISSN 0190-4108) is produced and copyrighted
© 2010 by the Office of Adventist Mission, General
Conference of Seventh-day Adventists®, 12501 Old Columbia
Pike, Silver Spring, MD 20904-6601 U.S.A. Printed in U.S.A.
Volume 99, Number 3
ADVENTIST® and SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTIST® are the
registered trademarks of the General Conference of
Seventh-day Adventists®.
Permission is granted to reproduce material from this
quarterly for use in local Sabbath Schools and children’s
ministries programs. Permission to reproduce any portion of
this material for sale, publication in another periodical, or
other commercial use must be authorized in writing by the
editor at the above address.
www.AdventistMission.org

For subscription inquiries, e-mail Julie Haines at

jhaines@rhpa.org or call 800-456-3991 or
First Quarter 2011 will feature Southern Asia Division. 1-301-393-3280. Annual subscription rates per edition:
domestic, US$7.50; international, US$14.50.

31
 TRANS-EUROPEAN DIVISION
Nuuk
FINLAND
GREENLAND

ICELAND
SWEDEN
Reykjavik NORWAY
Helsinki
Oslo 1
Stockholm Tallinn
ESTONIA

Riga
DENMARK LATVIA
Copenhagen LITHUANIA
2 Kaunas

RUSSIA
Dublin NETH.
IRELAND U. K. Berlin POLAND BELARUS
London Warsaw
GERMANY 3
BELGIUM

ATLANTIC
LUX. CZECH
SLOVAKIA UKRAINE

AUSTRIA HUNGARY MOLDOVA

SWITZ.

Unions O Membership
Churches C E A NPopulation FRANCE
Projects ITALY
SLOVENIA
CROATIA
ROMANIA

Adriatic 99 3,767 9,708,000 BOSNIA

1 Provide a church for an YUGOSLAVIA
Baltic 88 6,469 6,963,000
active congregation near BULGARIA
British 246 29,736 66,000,000 GEORGIA
Helsinki, Finland MACEDONIA
Danish 46 2,523 5,596,000
Finland 73 5,044
PORTUGAL 5,312,000 2 Establish an ALBANIA ARMENIA
Hungarian 111 4,667 10,034,000
SPAIN international church in GREECE
Copenhagen, Denmark TURKEY
Middle East 78 17,861 236,633,000
Netherlands 54 4,845 16,433,000 3 Renovate the Polish Athens
Norwegian 65 4,612 4,765,000 Union’s campground at
Pakistan 122 12,877 172,800,000 Zatonie, Poland
Polish 122 5,710 38,110,000
South-East European 215 8,151 16,064,000 4 CHILDREN’S
Swedish 39 2,801 9,214,000 PROJECT: Bibles for
children in Pakistan,
Attached Fields 32 1,942 19,043,000
Israel, and Sudan
TOTALS 1,390  111,005 616,675,000 TURKMENISTAN
GREECE
(as of January 2009) TURKEY TAJIKISTAN

CYPRUS SYRIA
Nicosia
LEBANON
AFGHANISTAN
ISRAEL 4 Baghdad IRAN Islamabad
IRAQ
JORDAN 4
KUWAIT
Cairo
PAKISTAN
EGYPT
LIBYA QATAR
Riyadh
U. A. E.
INDIA
SAUDI Muscat
ARABIA
CHAD
OMAN
NIGER
4 ERITREA YEMEN
Khartoum

SUDAN Sanaa
DJIBOUTI
INDIAN
SOMALIA
CENTRAL AFRICAN ETHIOPIA
CAMEROON REPUBLIC
OCEAN
DEM. REP.
UGANDA
CONGO OF CONGO KENYA